To my fellow Spartans, near and far, let me begin this column by saying that I hope you all are safe, secure, and in the best of health. I also want to extend my sincere gratitude, both personally and in my role as an administrator, for the support from our greater NSU community that the University has received in the midst of a life-altering pandemic. While the halls and edifices of our campus have been nearly empty for the past three months, the spirit and heart of our community lives and beats strongly. Although COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on all of us, it certainly has not diverted us from our path and journey towards excellence.
One word comes to mind as I reflect on all that has happened this year – that word is Resilience. Please allow me to share how we have maintained and thrived in these challenging circumstances. COVID-19 compelled us to make some serious and hard decisions, but we maintained a culture of academic excellence by delivering to our students a world class instruction in an online and remote learning environment.
Our amazing faculty not only rose to the challenge of delivering instruction in new mode, but they superseded it by being innovative, creative, and flexible to ensure that the learning for our students was neither disrupted nor diminished. As a result, more than 500 students completed their academic journeys here at NSU and now join the Spartan Alumni network all over the world and they are prepared and equipped to meet the needs of employers during these challenging and uncertain times.
As I think about all that has happened this year, I need to share with you how hard the staff and faculty have worked to maintain this beautiful campus and all that we do to serve our students and community. Our leader, Dr. J, has masterfully led us through a storm we couldn't imagine, and she will continue to lead us at the helm. In this issue of Behold you will learn more about how our esteemed faculty have excelled in the virtual classroom.
Faculty members such as Dr. Rhonda Fitzgerald and Mr. Lateef Gibson employed innovative methods to ensure that students were engaged in rigorous discourse from the safety of their homes. You’ll learn about how our devoted staff and administrators, such as Dr. Vanessa Jenkins, Director of the NSU Counseling Center, used virtual technologies to connect with our students to assist them in maintaining wellness and health in the midst of these challenging times.
You’ll also learn about the brave and impactful work of our alumni that are first responders to COVID-19 as healthcare workers. All of these individuals represent NSU with distinction and demonstrate the resilience that I have witnessed during these last few months.
Please join me in congratulating two of our Spartan Leaders, Dr. Deborah Fontaine, Vice President for Advancement, and Dr. Michael Shackleford, on their phenomenal careers at NSU as leaders to our staff and as mentors to our students. While they are retiring from their roles as administrators, they will forever be Spartans as they enter the ranks of the many esteemed administrators that have served with excellence.
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